Northwood Middle School in Highland Park, Illinois just launched their zero waste program, and it was a resounding success. With 524 students, Northwood is the fifth school in North Shore School District 112 (NSSD112), to launch a zero waste program. The staff and students’ comfort with zero waste processes was apparent on launch day, which was one of the smoothest and most successful the Zero Waste Schools (ZWS) team had seen, according to Becky Brodsky, Senior Program Manager for Seven Generations Ahead’s (SGA) ZWS program.
One of the biggest contributors to Northwood’s success? Reusable, washable trays and utensils. This is the first school the ZWS team launched with reusable items, and it had a huge impact on reducing overall waste and made it much easier for students to sort.
“If everybody could see this, they would understand why it makes such a difference,” Brodsky said about the reusables. She noted that, although the school’s dishwasher was broken, the kitchen team had created an effective assembly line to take care of kitchen tasks, including washing trays and utensils after they were used.
At the end of launch day, Northwood had just eight pounds of waste that could not be recycled or composted. The school generated only 75 pounds of waste overall, more than half of which were food scraps. This means that about 90% of Northwood’s lunch waste was diverted from the landfill on launch day!
And reusable items were not the only initiative that contributed to reduced waste. The school had made an effort to serve in bulk, serving main menu items directly on trays, as well as used condiment dispensers and offered vegetables and fruit on a salad bar, which minimized packaging. The institution of Offer vs. Serve (OVS) also reduced unwanted/uneaten food.
“The reduction of single use items such as portion cups, bundled cutlery and sauce packets dramatically reduces the amount of time kids spend in the sorting line,” said Jenny Futterman, a NSSD112 parent who has helped with all the zero waste launches in the district. “Reusables are saving kids time while creating less landfill waste.”
One of the main reasons the staff, students and teachers are all-in on zero waste is because the district is committed to these efforts. All the feeder elementary schools that send students to Northwood are already composting, many of which have been participating in the program for years. As a result, most students knew what to do on day one of Northwood’s program.
“This launch was amazing,” said Futterman. “It was the easiest one that I’ve helped with in NSSD112.”
When it comes to going zero waste at school, preparation, dedication, and a commitment to reducing waste at the source go a long way.
